Comparison of swimming in water and swimming in syrup for two hydromechanical models

The swimming of a dumbbell and of a three-sphere chain in a viscous incompressible fluid is studied on the basis of simplified equations of motion, which take into account both friction and inertial effects. The study is focused on the question of whether a particular swimmer will swim slower or faster in syrup than in water. The answer to this question for the dumbbell turns out to be complex. For the three-sphere chain, there is a small increase in swimming velocity in syrup.